If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes in draft pick arguing with your team over who gets to play the newest burst mage, you’ve probably wondered just how many heroes does Mobile Legends have to choose from as of 2026. I’ve been playing MLBB since its early days, and I still get surprised every few months when Moonton drops a new hero that shakes up the meta entirely. This post breaks down the exact current count, plus all the context you need to understand why the roster grows so fast, and how to make the most of the huge selection when climbing ranked.
How Many Heroes Does Mobile Legends Have in 2026? Exact Official Count
As of March 2026, Moonton’s official permanent hero roster sits at 132 playable characters. This number does not include limited-time collab heroes that are only available for 4-6 week event windows, as these characters are not added to the core playable roster after their event ends. Collab heroes like the 2026 Jujutsu Kaisen crossover characters can only be unlocked with special event currency, and can’t be purchased with regular battle points or diamonds once the event wraps up.
The 2026 count is 11 higher than the official 2025 total, with 4 more permanent heroes scheduled to release before the end of the year. Moonton follows a consistent release schedule, dropping one new hero every 5-6 weeks, plus full reworks of 2-3 older underplayed heroes every quarter. Reworked heroes are not counted as new entries in the official roster, even if their kit and visuals are completely overhauled, like the 2026 Franco rework that changed his entire playstyle.
If you’re just starting out, knowing how many heroes does mobile legends have split across each role can help you pick a main that has enough variety to keep you engaged. It also helps you plan which heroes to unlock first, depending on your preferred playstyle.
Breakdown of Mobile Legends Heroes by Role in 2026
All 132 permanent heroes are split into 6 core roles, each with a specific job in standard team comps. Some heroes are labeled as flex picks, meaning they can perform well in 2 or more roles depending on how you build their emblems and items, but they are still assigned one primary role in the official roster. Here’s the full breakdown of counts by role as of 2026:
That means if you main support, you have far fewer options to choose from than a fighter main, but that also makes it easier to master every hero in your role before new ones drop. I’ve noticed that a lot of new players skip learning support entirely, but with the smaller roster, it’s actually the fastest role to climb ranked with if you put in a little practice. You won’t have to spend months learning dozens of different matchups, and you’ll almost never get your main picked away from you in draft.
2026 Mobile Legends Hero Releases: What’s New and Coming Soon
Every new addition to the roster changes the answer to how many heroes does mobile legends have, so it’s a good idea to check Moonton’s official social media every month for updates. The 11 new heroes added so far in 2026 have brought a lot of fresh mechanics to the game, with two standouts that have completely shifted the ranked meta.
Lira, the star weaver mage was released in January 2026, and she can create portals that let her entire team teleport across the map. This has completely changed how pro teams approach split pushing, as teams can now jump across the entire map in 2 seconds to take objectives or turn around ganks. Her win rate in high rank is currently sitting at 54%, making her one of the strongest picks in the game right now.
Kael, the brawler fighter released in March 2026, and he gains extra damage and movement speed the lower his health gets. This makes him a favorite for solo lane players who love outplaying 1v2 scenarios, as he can turn fights around when he’s on the edge of dying. I’ve been maining Kael in solo lane this season, and I’ve won 68% of my matches with him so far, even when I’m against counter picks like Esmeralda.
The 4 upcoming heroes for the rest of 2026 are 3 supports and 1 tank, as we noted earlier. Moonton runs a free hero trial event for every new release for the first 7 days after launch, so you can test out a new hero before spending your battle points or diamonds to unlock them. If you participate in the launch event challenges, you can often unlock the new hero for free without spending any currency, which is what I do for every new release to save my battle points for emblem upgrades.
Tips to Unlock Every Mobile Legends Hero Fast in 2026
If your goal is to collect every character, knowing how many heroes does mobile legends have in 2026 lets you set a clear grind schedule for the rest of the year. The good news is you don’t have to spend real money to unlock all 132 permanent heroes, there are plenty of free ways to grind currency fast if you know what to prioritize.
First, focus on completing all your daily and weekly challenges, which give you up to 10,000 battle points per week if you finish every task. Weekly challenge double XP events run every other weekend in 2026, so log in during those to cut your grind time in half. I usually knock out all my weekly challenges in one 2-hour session during these double events, so I don’t have to log in every single day to hit my battle point cap.
Second, don’t waste your free weekly lucky draw tickets. These draws often give out hero fragments or even full hero unlocks, and I’ve unlocked 3 heroes for free in 2026 just from these weekly draws. You get one free ticket every day, plus extra tickets for completing daily challenges, so make sure you use them before they expire at the end of the week.
Third, participate in every seasonal event, as these almost always give out permanent hero unlocks as top rewards. The 2026 Lunar New Year event gave away 5 free permanent heroes to players who completed all the event challenges, for example, and the upcoming summer event is scheduled to give away 3 more. These events only require 10-15 minutes of play per day to complete all challenges, so they’re well worth the time.
Finally, save your ranked season reward hero chests for newer, more expensive heroes that cost 32,000 battle points. These chests let you pick any permanent hero of your choice, so using them for high-cost heroes saves you weeks of grinding battle points. Don’t waste them on cheap 2,000 battle point heroes that you can unlock in a day or two of casual play.
At the end of the day, the answer to how many heroes does mobile legends have in 2026 is 132 permanent playable characters, with more on the way before the year ends. The huge roster means there’s a hero for every playstyle, whether you love soaking damage as a tank, one-shotting enemies as an assassin, or supporting your team to victory. Don’t feel pressured to unlock every hero right away – focus on mastering 2-3 heroes in your main role first, then expand your roster as you get more comfortable with the game. If you keep an eye out for free event rewards, you’ll have a full roster before you know it, without spending a dime.